After Measles Success, Rwanda to Get Rubella Vaccine: Vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and rubella continue to cause significant suffering, death, and disability for children throughout the developing world. Despite the proven effectiveness of basic childhood vaccines and their low cost—less than $1 for vaccine and delivery—many children do not receive them. In recent years, efforts such as the Measles & Rubella Initiative have successfully broken down barriers to accessing the measles vaccine leading to a more than 70% drop in measles deaths since 2000. Rwanda has been particularly successful in getting measles vaccines to its children with over 90% of children receiving the recommended two doses. Now, with government commitment and international partners, Rwanda will add the rubella vaccine which will address another preventable disease in children that causes birth defects such as blindness, deafness, and mental disabilities.

A look at a scary walk by students: Philadelphia Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. walked the perilous route that the closing of Pierce Elementary School would entail, along with the newest member of the School Reform Commission (SRC), Sylvia Simms, who is not only a Philly school parent and grandparent, but also lives in the neighborhood.

School reform finds a home: This article highlights an interesting and very non-traditional approach to education reform—a commercial development to house both teachers and education-related organizations.